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This Sausage and Veggie Penne makes for a quick, easy and filling weeknight dinner. It comes together in around 30 minutes and can feed a crowd. Feel free to use any veggies you like or have on hand. Just be sure to cook them in an order that brings out the most flavour and texture.
Enter to Win a Jovial Grain Free Cassava Pasta Prize Pack
I got really excited when I heard the news that Jovial Foods was launching a full line of delicious grain free Cassava Pastas. I was even more excited when I realized they actually taste amazing!
To celebrate, I’ve partnered with @jovialfoods is giving away one box of each shape to one lucky winner. To enter, follow @jovialfoods and @primal_gourmet on Instagram and tag a friend in the comments section of the photo with this recipe for Sausage and Veggie Penne.
The contest is open to US and Canadian residents only. Contest closes August 23, 11:59pm EST.
What You Need for Sausage and Veggie Penne
Sausage:
In this Sausage and Veggie version, I started things off with some crumbled, mild Italian sausage so that I could control the spice level and let my toddler enjoy it too. If you want to enjoy it spicy, you can substitute a spicy sausage of choice, add some red chile flakes, or drizzle the pasta with some Calabrian chile oil overtop, as I did. You’re the boss, applesauce.
You can use any type of sausage you like. It can be chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb. You can also use cured or smoked sausages, like the chicken and apple ones from Aidells, and slice them.
Pasta:
When it comes to the pasta, I used Jovial Grain Free Cassava Penne. Jovial just launched a brand new line of cassava flour pastas that are fantastic. They taste great and the texture is quite close to typical dried flour pastas. What I really like is that Jovial’s cassava pasta doesn’t have the grittiness that a lot of alternative-flour pastas have. Plus, they’re made with only two-ingredients: cassava flour and water.
Veggies:
I used shallots, garlic, zucchini, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. The flavours work really well together and gives a very summertime-feeling to the finished product.
As mentioned, you can use any vegetables you like here. The trick is cooking them in an order that maximizes their taste and texture. For example, if you wanted to add mushrooms, I recommend cooking them immediately after removing the browned sausage from the pan. That way they have a chance to caramelize and release their natural moisture.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil:
This Sausage and Veggie Penne is cooked in an aglio e olio (oil and garlic) base, meaning there is no addition of tomato product or wine. The only additional liquid that is added is the water in which the pasta cooked, but because the Jovial Cassava pasta water tends to be a bit too cloudy, I personally avoid adding it here. I find that the finished pasta still tastes great without it.
Other Sausage Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup
- Whole30 Zuppa Toscana
- Shakshuka Merguez
- Caldo Verde
- Roasted Sausage and Romesco
Sausage and Veggie Penne - Gluten-Free, Paleo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus extra to taste
- 1 box Jovial Grain Free Cassava Penne
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 mild or spicy Italian sausage, around 6-ounces total, casings removed
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly smashed and peeled
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
- 1 medium roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
- Freshly-cracked black pepper
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- Calabrian chile oil, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with 1 tablespoon salt and add the pasta. Cook to package instructions or until al-dente, around 13 minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a separate saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and roughty crumble into bite-sized pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the browned and cooked through. Around 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate and set it aside.
- Drop the heat to medium. If necessary, add another 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan used to cook the sausage. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and slightly caramelized, around 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, around 5 minutes.
- Add the red pepper and sun-dried tomato. Cook, stirring and lifting any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the spinach and water. Cover with a lid for 2 minutes to quickly wilt the greens, then cook, stirring, until incorporated, 1 minute.
- Add the cooked pasta and browned sausage to the pot and stir to combine and warm the pasta. Add the basil and stir through. Serve immediately with chile oil, if using.
About the Author
Hi, i'm Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
Do you add the sausage back into the pan when you add the pasta back? I figured so but just wanted to make sure!
That’s correct! Thank you for spotting the typo and sorry for the delay in getting back to you!